I make online communities tick.

Hi again! Sarah Dopp here.

When I’m not digging and pontificating, I’m making a living as a consultant.  I’ve been building websites, blogs, and web community spaces since 1997.  These days, I most enjoy developing the strategies, structures, and management plans of online communities.

My history

I’ve been a self-employed web professional since 2004. I’m well-adjusted to the hats of Project Manager, Social Media Advisor, Front-End Developer, Technical Writer, and Community Development Consultant.

My clients have included BlogHer, Cisco, Chevron, Jiffy Lube, Hyperion, and Seton Pediatric Hospital, among others. I’ve worked in the branding industry as a consultant under Interbrand, Bedrock Brands, and Percepticon, and in the social media marketing industry as a consultant under Cerado. I’ve also done a lot of work as a solo consultant. My full list of past client projects is here.

Education-wise, I rocked a 4.0 GPA through Bard College, University of New Hampshire, and San Francisco State, but I kept getting too distracted by interesting work to actually graduate. My studies were in Mandarin Chinese, Linguistics, and Technical Writing. Building websites and rallying communities just happened to be more fun.

You can see what current and former clients have said about my work style, smarts, and professional dedication over here. If you’d like to ask anyone questions about my work directly, I’d be happy to put you in touch.

Also, just to be clear…

• While I do have a background in web development and am good at setting things up, I’m not a system programmer.  If you need a complex community site built or configured from scratch, I can work with the team that’s building it, but that team isn’t me.
• I help structure existing community momentum -- I don't make eager fans appear out of nowhere. Building a community from scratch requires a mix of marketing and community management, and I'm only the second half of that equation.
• I’m a tech professional in Silicon Valley. Hiring me as a consultant is a bit like budgeting for a new employee… just… minus the health insurance, taxes, and layoff drama.
• Actually, now that you mention it, you can't really hire me right now. I'm booked with two large, long-term projects. Sorry. But we can still be friends.

I've love to hear about what you're working on. Thanks for being interested in my work!

More

Want specifics? Check out the list of Things I've Done.

Know me? Connect with me on LinkedIn or Facebook.

Want to stalk me? Follow me on Twitter.

Fellow indie professional? You might like my newsletter, where I send gig offers and reports from the freelancing front lines.

Need more grins? Go check out Dopp Juice or Culture Conductor to see what's keeping me fascinated these days.